Here’s a new playlist of Dylan’s Good As I Been To You Album comprised of covers other artists did of these songs after Dylan’s 1993 release. It’s good.
When you listen to Dylan originals, there is often no precedent, nothing to look back on or no easy way to get context for the songs. But Good As I Been to You was an album of (mostly) old folk song covers - so there are *tons* of other versions of these songs - both before and after Bob’s release.
Listening to these versions - old and new - is a great way to appreciate and indulge in GAIBTY. If you know these songs primarily from Bob, sometimes they’ll remind you of his versions, but often the takes are entirely different. In the old you can hear things that he picked up, and see where he put his own spin on them. In the new ones, you can try to see where he left a mark on others.
I’ve loved this album for 30 years, and had a blast really listening to all of these versions repeatedly. I recommend giving them some time.
Our New Playlists
Next week on the Dylan.FM Podcast, Ray Padgett is joining us to look at some of the source versions - the tunes Dylan surely or likely heard before he sat down with Micajah Ryan to record Good As I Been To You.
Dylan.FM focuses on one album or period in Bob Dylan’s career at a time. We spent a full year diving deep on Time Out Of Mind, and are now spending three months looking at the early-90’s covers albums. Join us.
We’re going to release a gigantic playlist of over 100 good versions of these songs, and one that rebuilds the album out of our favorite of the versions that likely influenced Bob. It’s a fun and instructive listen. Look for it next week.
But today, in anticipation of that that and as more warm up for the series of GAIBTY podcasts that are coming - is another alt-version of the album. But this one is made up of more modern takes - all recorded and released *after* Dylan’s 1993 takes.